Can I swim and shower while wearing my watch?

Most watches are water-resistant. NO WATCH is truly waterproof. A water-resistant watch has gaskets that help seal the case against average water pressure at a stated pressure or depth. A watch that is water-resistant to 3ATM, for example, is built to withstand the average pressure occurring at 99 feet or 30 meters below the ocean's surface. However, unless the watch is labeled as a diver's watch, we do not recommend swimming with it.

Watch seals are generally designed to withstand only casual contact with water, such as splashes of water and rain.

We also do not recommend you shower, enter steam rooms, or bathe while wearing your watch. Many agents, including steam, soap, mildew, salt water, perfume and chlorine can get into the watch, and if not cleaned immediately, the gaskets and seals can break down over time, allowing dust or moisture to penetrate the case and potentially damage the moving components of your watch.

Finally, the crown, special functions and push buttons of your watch or chronograph should not be operated underwater.

How should I care for my watch strap?

While the life span of a watch strap depends on your care and wearing habits, as well as the climate in which you live, proper care will extend its life.

Leather straps should be kept dry. Exposure to water may cause a leather watch strap to become brittle and eventually break. To preserve the finish of the leather, contact with perfumes should be avoided. Following exposure to chlorinated or salt water, gently damp wipe your leather strap with fresh water, and air dry.

To help preserve the natural elasticity and quality of a Series 800 ThermoResin™ or XTremeResin™ strap, rinse it using a soft cloth soaked in fresh water following exposure to salt water, chemicals or abrasive substances.

Use warm water and a neutral pH soap applied to a soft cloth to gently clean a white Series 800 ThermoResilient™ strap or a Movado Master white rubber strap; then wipe with a second clean cloth dipped in warm water, or rinse carefully under warm running water. Contact with acetone and ethyl alcohol should be avoided.

A natural gum rubber or “rubber cement pick-up” (found in art supply stores) may be used to remove most surface stains from a Movado BOLD coated white leather strap or white TR90/silicone bracelet. Simply rub the natural gum gently across the soiled area until the strap/bracelet is clean.

For stains that have penetrated the surface of a white Movado BOLD strap or bracelet, organic solvents like Zymol liquid leather cleaner or Columbus gel super cleaner, a de-inking roller (ethyl alcohol and propylene ink remover) or an ethyl alcohol-based solution such as Purell hand sanitizer (62% ethyl alcohol) may be used. Wipe soiled area with a soft wet cloth. Then dampen a cotton ball or soft clean white cloth with the cleansing solution, and rub soiled area gently. Repeat 2 to 3 times until stain disappears. Please test for color fastness on inside surface before applying any solution. For best results, treat all stains/soil promptly.

My automatic watch lost its power, do I need to wind it?

Mechanical watches with automatic movements have a spring that is wound by the normal, daily motion of the wearer's arm. The arm movement causes a rotor inside the watch to transmit motion (energy) to the barrel, thus winding the mainspring.

An important feature of every automatic winding watch is 'power reserve'. If the watch loses its power reserve because it has been idle for an extended period of time, you can wind it up manually (approximately 20 turns of the crown) to create an initial power reserve. To retain the power reserve, as stated above, the watch must be worn continuously and actively. If you plan on wearing your watch daily, you may want to manually wind it once every two weeks to keep the wheels in motion and the oil from drying out. If you do not plan on wearing it daily, we advise you wind the watch about three times a week to ensure continuous operation. Finally, if you do not wear your automatic watch daily, you may want to use a winding box. This box mimics the natural motion of your arm to keep your automatic watch operating.

In contrast, a "manual" mechanical watch does require the watch's mainspring to be hand-wound by turning the crown, and must be wound each time it loses that power.

Will pulling out my Stem/Crown extend the life of the battery?

In addition to exposing the movement to dust and moisture which can cause your movement to malfunction, pulling out the stem will not save battery life. Pulling the stem out simply disengages the hands from the movement; the movement continues to run and the battery's power is still being depleted.

How does dust affect my watch?

Even a small particle of dust is enough to stop the watch. Dust can enter a watch if the case, crystal or crown is not intact. A loose, chipped or cracked crystal should be replaced immediately to prevent this from occurring. If you do not wear your watch for a long period, store it in its original box, in a dry place.

How long will my battery last?

The battery in your quartz watch is a 1.55 volt, silver-oxide battery. These batteries are specially designed for watches and last approximately 2 - 5 years, depending on the brand and type of watch, as well as the type of movement used in the watch.

Even for simple battery changes, we recommend you take your watch to an Authorized Service Center to ensure your watch is handled appropriately, and that water resistance is reestablished after battery replacement. The warranty on all of our watches states that we will not accept watches for repair under warranty if someone other than a Movado Group Inc. (MGI) Authorized Service Center opens the watch. The warranty will be considered void and of no effect if the watch is opened by such person or business. Therefore, we encourage consumers to send watches, which are under warranty, to our Authorized Service Centers. Please note: An Authorized Retailer is NOT necessarily an Authorized Service Center.

If a watch is no longer under warranty, anyone who has proper technical training and equipment (including water-resistant testers) may perform repairs on our products. However, the ultimate responsibility is with the service provider. MGI is not responsible for the work of any such service providers and may not be able to repair any damage caused by such service provider. See what steps are taken to replace a battery for more detail.

Do I need to send in my watch for periodic maintenance?

To ensure your watch remains water resistant, we recommend inspection and maintenance of the case seals and gaskets every 2 to 3 years. This maintenance will help seal and protect the watch movement against air, dust, and moisture, which over time, can penetrate the watch case seal, and prevent the watch movement from functioning properly.

All watch movements will require periodic maintenance. We recommend that a mechanical movement be inspected for possible servicing every 3 to 5 years and quartz movements at each battery change.